Is Lemongrass Oil a Mosquito Repellent?

If I have to vote which are the top three live creatures I mostly dislike, mosquitoes will be among them. And it is not only a subjective feeling.

Do you know which is the most deadly animal in the world? You are right – the mosquito! According to the World Health Organization, more than 1 000 000 people each year die, contaminated by a virus (like malaria), due to a mosquito bite.

Is lemongrass oil a mosquito repellent?

Yes!

And I am happy with this fact. One of the most terrible sounds I can hear in the dark, laying in my bed, is that annoying mosquito buzz in my ears.

And when all of a sudden, the sound stops, it typically means, the mosquito has landed over my skin, doing some bad things.

Read below to find out what are repelling properties of lemongrass oil, and how to use lemongrass oil as a mosquito repellent.

Why does lemongrass oil repel mosquitoes?

Cymbopogon, also known as lemongrass, or citronella, has antifungal and antiseptic properties.

The US Environmental Protection Agency claims lemongrass essential oil to be a non-toxic biopesticide, which also acts as an insect repellent (especially unpleasant for mosquitoes).

It contains compounds, like citronellol, geraniol, and citronellal, which are used in making cosmetics, perfumery, soaps, candles.

But what matters to you, is all three geraniol, citronellol and citronella are mosquitoes’ enemies!

Armed with the above info, let’s see how to get an advantage of lemongrass anti-mosquito properties.

How to use lemongrass oil as a mosquito repellent?

One of the solutions is to produce homemade natural spray to keep mosquitoes away. Please, find the recipe:

MIx and stir all oils into the spirits, so that they are dissolved there. Add the oils in the following order:

tea tree;

peppermint;

geranium;

lavender;

lemongrass;

patchouli

Add the water and stir well. Put the liquid in a spray bottle.

Follow these rules:

Two of the oils must be included in the recipe: geranium, and lemongrass oil.

Do you remember the tree powerful mosquito repellent components citronellol, geraniol, and citronellal? Well, we can mostly find them there.

Some of the other oils, you can substitute with basil oil, thyme oil, or eucalyptus oil.

But you should not surpass 60 drops essential oil in total, for the above-defined quantity water and spirits.

What you can do is proportionally increase, or decrease the quantity of the compounds, keeping between them the ratio shown here.

Precaution

If you are allergic to any of the ingredients in the repellent, don’t use them. To be on the safe side, when ready with the natural spray, test a small quantity on your hand. If no reaction appears, you are ready to go:)

Conclusion

Whether you are in nature, or you hear the mosquito buzz in the room around you, you can use natural skin care components, to protect your body from insects, instead of harmful products, full of synthetics.

Is lemongrass oil a mosquito repellent? You already know the answer. Apart from being a natural bug repellent, lemongrass oil has a lot more benefits, regarding your skin health and hair health.

That’s why it’s part of cosmetic and cleansing formulas in shampoos, lotions, conditioners, soaps, and other products.

Take action, and start using lemongrass oil!

I would love to hear from you! Do you (plan to) use natural mosquito repellents for your skin? Leave me a message, and I will answer you!

To your protected skin:)

Valeria

8 Responses

KB

Thank you for the useful information. I feel it is always a better option when you are able to find a natural alternative for bug repellent (or any product) because it is less likely to have harsh chemicals that are damaging to the skin and body ( unless a person is allergic to an ingredient in the natural repellent as you said in your post). The mosquito repellent would be very useful because summer time is just around the corner :).

Valeria

Thank you for mentioning summer season:) I associate it with lots of emotions, travel and being exposed to nature and its challenges, one of them being contact with mosquitoes! Lemongrass essential oil is one of the possible natural solutions.

Wish you a fantastic summer, with lots of fun and less mosquitoes around:)
Valeria

I really Liked this information. I fish a lot and I’m always worried about how synthetic mosquito repellent’s are going to affect my fishing line and tackle. Lemongrass oil as mosquito repellent, awesome!

Ok, I have a lot of mosquitoes where I live making it difficult to set outside. This is one reason I read this post to see what it was all about and how to make mosquito repellent. I have been thinking about buying lemongrass and planting it all around my place especially the deck and then screening it in. My question is do you have to have all the other herbs to make lemongrass oil mosquito repellent?

Valeria

Thank you for the comment! Your idea of planting lemongrass around your place sounds great, provided the fantastic benefits of lemongrass, and the oil derived.

No, you don’t need all the other oils. In fact, lemongrass oil and geranium oil have the most potent compounds, which repel mosquitoes. Use these two, if you can’t find all the other. You will be better protected, than not using them:)

This will be my summer life saviour! We actually have candles with lemon flavour, which we use when we are sitting outside on the veranda. It smells good and it helps us keep the mosquitos away.

During summertime, I often wake up with mosquito bites. Your tip to make a mosquito repellent out of lemongrass is excellent. I’ll see if I can find all the ingredients to make this repellent myself. Is it necessary with the spirits in the spray? Doesn’t it make the skin dry?

Pernilla

Valeria

I am happy to hear from you:) Candle with lemongrass oil is a significant mosquito solution for your veranda moments! Now you can add massaging with lemongrass oil-based repellent.
Spirits are necessary, as they dissolve the essential oils, which are too heavy fractions, to use them alone. Don’t worry about drying your skin, as well. The carrier oils play their role to balance the recipe and to keep the skin hydrated.

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At no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you buy any product or service.
Everything you read here is my honest opinion. I would never give an advice that I believe is not good for you!
Valeria